Should you need a UN grounds pass, please register at least one week prior to the event to guarantee entry. Participants needing a UN grounds pass can pick it up upon entry to the event at the UN visitor’s entrance on 45th street and 1st Avenue starting at 12:45 pm. Please note, however, that space is limited and the event may not be able to accommodate everyone who wishes to attend. Robert Kirkpatrick, Director of United Nations Global Pulse RegistrationĪdvance registration (by 15 June) is suggested. Kellogg Associate Professor of Community Information at the University of Michigan School of Information The panel will consider how to ensure that the use of technology does not replace the central role of people for positive social change and sustainable development. Professor Toyama will present his findings, followed by responses from senior experts and stakeholders. Geek Heresy describes some of the contradictions around the use of technology in today’s world and questions whether technology can cause positive change. Toyama analyses the role of technology in society and how it affects attempts to address the world’s global challenges such as poverty and inequality. In the context of calls for a data revolution in the Post-2015 Development Agenda discussions, this event aims at unpacking some of the risks associated with technology as well as the opportunities that innovation can offer for sustainable development. Kellogg Associate Professor of Community Information. Toyama joined the University of Michigan School of Information as W.K.

After a decade designing technologies that address education, health, and global poverty, Prof. Computer scientist Kentaro Toyama is a former Microsoft researcher who co-founded the Microsoft India research laboratory. On 18 June 2015, the United Nations University will host a lunchtime policy forum to launch the new book Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Cult of Technology (PublicAffairs, 2015) by Kentaro Toyama.

Geek heresy